Founded by poet and nonfiction writer Anna Leahy and designer Claudine Jaenichen, Tab Journal is an international poetry periodical. Tab Journal’s tagline “space before text” emphasizes that the design of text and page creates various poetry reading experiences. Inclusive experiences begin with design—of policies, of practices, of pages, of poems.
From 2013 to 2026, Tab Journal published an innovatively designed print issue at the beginning of each volume (calendar) year. Online issues appeared over the rest of the year, including an online issue featuring winners of the California Coastal Commission K-12 poetry contest. For the foreseeable future, the archives will remain available on the website.
See more below and on separate pages for Archives, Design Statements, Staff, Events, and the Musings Blog.
Gratitude to all our contributors over fourteen years. Thanks to all who sent their work for consideration.
Chloe Honum’s “Snow White” appears in Pushcart Prize XL, after appearing in Volume 2 (2014) of Tab Journal. Raymond Luczak’s poem “First A-S-L Sign Me-Learn hat | My First ASL Sign” was recognized in the 2025 Best of the Net Anthology; it appeared in Vol. 12, Issue 2. Adesiyan Oluwapelumi’s “There are no more butterflies here.” was recognized as a finalist in BOTN the same year; it appeared in Vol. 11, Issue 3. The previous year, Farnaz Fatemi’s “Ground” was a finalist for BOTN; it appeared in Vol. 10, Issue 6.
Year after year, the print issue was distributed to all past contributors as well as at the Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference and literary festivals, to libraries, and in classrooms. There has never been a charge for submissions or for copies of the print or online issues.
Take a look at the Design Statements. We’ve thought a lot about text, space, and form to create the distinctive reading experience of Tab Journal.
In 2019, we redesigned the website, revised our style guide with low vision standards, and updated the archives for increased accessibility. In 2021, the Poetry Foundation awarded Tab Journal a grant to work toward greater inclusion; as a result, we welcomed two contributing editors for that volume year and began paying contributors. Over the subsequent two volume years with the help of an institutional grant, we worked on accessibility in both design and policies with a disabled designer.
Our Staff included faculty in creative writing, graphic design, and literature. As assistant editors, Chapman University MFA in Creative Writing students and alums participated in the editorial process and wrote book reviews.
Tab Journal is part of Tabula Poetica: The Center for Poetry at Chapman University. While the demands of continuing publication ultimately exceeded support, Tab Journal would not have existed without the support of the university, including the budget and workload compensation established at the project’s founding as well as ongoing encouragement from the provost who introduced us, college deans who renewed our appointments, and department chairs who recognized the project’s educational and literary value. Importantly, the Tabula Poetica Reading Series remains active.
